Lando Norris admitted that McLaren had to take more risks in certain scenarios after reviewing how they lost to Max Verstappen on the Japanese Grand Prix.
Norris followed Verstappen for all 53 rounds of the last Sunday race in Suzuce, including the Pit-Stop phase, where the leaders unusually stood on the same bike.
McLaren’s driver says he had previously stood up to try to undermine Verstappen, “has always come out”, which could deny the chance to win the second victory of the season.
“Would I be willing to risk boxer for more cars and go for victory?
“But we still finished second and third. We still got more points in the constructors, and I had a good result as a driver driver, but I lost Max and when my main competitor was. But there were many reviews.
“After last weekend we weren’t happy. The second and third is a great result as a team still. But it could be better, and we could have potentially more risks and were a little more attacking as a team?
“At the end of the day I stand in the approach this weekend, but (after) review these weekends, (we need) to sometimes attack a little.”
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Lando Norris admits that McLaren has to do better, with Max Verstappen just a point behind him in the ranking of drivers
Norris: I need to win races
Last year, McLaren particularly missed the victory in Montreal races, Silverstone and Sao Paulo partly because of strategic mistakes.
In each of these Grands Prix, Verstappen was behind Norris, but returned in front of his rival at the chessboard.
Suzuka was therefore a reminder that McLaren still had to improve in terms of close strategic races, especially against Red Bull and Verstappen.
Norris, which leads Verstappen just one point before the weekend Bahrain Grand Prix, says in the future that in the future can be strategically “stronger or more demanding” on the radio.
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The F1 Show Panel discusses whether McLaren could do more to help their drivers catch Verstappen on the Japanese GP
“I think sometimes I might want to risk more to win. It’s not always a guarantee,” he added.
“There may be cases where we go to it, I get stuck or Oscar undermines me, or another driver undermines, or switches me and the price of risking does not work in my favor and actually loses positions at the end of the day.
“I have to admit that it might sometimes be. I want to accept the second is not a bad result, but I have to win the races and I will not settle for the other.
“Definitely, on my part, I would like to go and go back a little and repeat things with a slightly more aggressive approach, but I know deep that it’s a long season, and sometimes the points on the board are better than risking.”
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McLaren team director Andrea Stella explains why Oscar Piastriho was not ordered to replace Norris positions, despite radio news from the Australian claim “had a pace”
Verstappen expects Red Bull to be less competitive in Bahrain
So far, Verstappen has maximized his season on Sunday with the second in Australia, the fourth in China and the stunning victory in Japan.
The ruling world champion dominated the Grand Prix in the Bahrain Grand Prix in the last two years, but McLaren now has a car that has defeated and thinks hot temperatures will go against Red Bull.
“The first stint in Australia, which we were destroyed by overheating and degradation of tires in general, as in China,” he said.
“I would say, to some extent in Suzuce, but you can’t walk. Lando closed me at the end of the first thing and I knew it was coming.
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Norris and Verstappen respond to their clash in Pit-Stop to the Japanese Grand Prix
“I just went to my own pace. But I think because the track (temperature) then dropped a bit, which helped a little.
“Here in Bahrain it will be hot, we have aggressive asphalt. So on paper, from what we have seen, this season is not ideal for us compared to McLaren.
“Of course it is up to us to try to find these improvements in the behavior of a car or tires.”
The Bahrain international district traditionally did not play on the strengths of McLaren. In fact, the team never won the race since it joined the F1 calendar in 2004.
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Experience a close clash between Norris and Verstappen when they came out of the pit and left Norrisa in the grass as they fought for leading in Suzuka
This weekend this weekend expects a “hard competition” from Red Bull and Ferrari.
“I think our advantage will decrease compared to previous weekends. A more wicked track, a slower speed circle that was not so favorable for us, and there is a place where the car is in a more complicated state compared to what we had potentially last year,” he said.
“I would still expect only good competition from Ferrari, Mercedes and even Midfield Pack will probably be a little closer this weekend, so I expect a difficult weekend. I don’t expect any easy.
“Yes, the car is good and yes, the team is doing a wonderful job, but it’s close as if you see the last few weekends.
“Red Bull also has a good car, Max is Max and Charles and Lewis and other boys around, I expect hard competition.”
Bahrain GP Sky Sports F1
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Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle explains how to win Bahrain Grand Prix
Friday 11th April
- 8.50: 00: Practice F3
- 10:00: Practice F2
- 12:00: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts at 12:30)*
- 1.55: 00: Qualification F3
- 2,40: 00: Qualification F2
- 15:35: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 16:00)
- 17:15: Show F1
Saturday 12th April
- 11.10: 10: F3 Sprint Race
- 13:15: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 13:30)
- 15:10: F2 Sprint
- 16:10: Bahrain GP qualification accumulation
- 17:00: Bahrain GP qualification
- 19:00: Ted’s qualifying notebook
Sunday 13th April
- 10.50: 00: F3 Feature race
- 12.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 14:30: Bahrain GP Building: Grand Prix Sunday
- 16:00: Bahrain Grand Prix
- 18:00: Bahrain GP Reaction: Chessboard
- 19:00: Ted’s notebook
*Live also at the main Sky Sports event
Formula 1 continues its triple header in Sakhir on the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, Live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract whenever cancel
